Frozen Shoulder is particularly prevalent between the ages of 40-60, and effects more woman than men for unknown reasons. It has the potential to create disability, making it difficult to get dressed, reach up to a higher shelf and even to sleep comfortably at night.

There’s a lot we still don’t know about dementia, but we do know it affects over 400,000 Australians and is the leading cause of disability in those over 65. And it might surprise you to know that it’s also the second most common cause of death of Australians in general.

If you can bike or walk to work, this can be an excellent way to fit more activity into your day – and you’ll arrive feeling fresh and energised, with a clear mind. Of course, not everyone lives close enough for this to be a realistic option, but you can still find ways to make at least part of your trip more active such as getting off the tram a few stops early and walking, or even park your car a kilometre or two away.

Each knee joint has a medial and lateral meniscus, these look like two large C-shaped cartilages that separate the thigh bone from the shin bone. Each knee meniscus acts like a little wedge to assist with stability at the knee joint especially with rotational movement. They also act as shock absorbers while walking, running, and jumping, protecting the bone surfaces and allowing you to move.

Cupping has numerous benefits — it can help remove toxins from the body and stimulate the flow of fresh blood, lymph, and Qi to the affected area and throughout the body. It often works wonders for patients with the flu, colds, coughs, back and muscle pain, poor circulation, anxiety, red itchy skin conditions allergies, fevers, aches and myriad other pains.

Whilst fatigue, difficulty concentrating and daytime sleepiness are common symptoms of sleep deprivation, many of us are unaware of the adverse effects a lack of sleep can have on health, brain and body function.

The podiatrist’s primary role is to identify if there is an underlying mechanical issue contributing to the injury or pain. If so, then a management plan to correct or reduce the underlying structural driver may be required. Footwear recommendation, strengthening and stretching exercises and gait advice may also be applicable.

While the exact cause is not fully understood, it is thought to be the result of overload causing repetitive micro trauma to these tendons that causes the pain. This overload can occur in any activity, from exercising at the gym or gardening to typing on the computer, anything that involves repetitive wrist extension.

MDT is most recognised for its effect in treating back and neck pain, with or without referred symptoms into the leg or arm. Extremity joints like the knee, hip and shoulder as well as back and neck problems also frequently respond to direction specific exercises. .

Dry needling is a very safe treatment. At our Physiotherapy Clinic in Keilor East we are trained in using a ‘clean’ technique, and only individually packaged, single use, sterile needles are ever used. The needles are very fine and very rarely does any bleeding or bruising occurs at the insertion site.

Our bones provide our body with a hard skeleton giving us shape, structure and protection to our internal organs. These bones are made up of both collagen and calcium and give the flexibility and strength that we need to move!

While stress can be useful at times, it is important to manage it well, particularly in the face of pain disorders. An inability to manage stress may be contributing to the level of pain being experienced, so at Medwest Health Care we will often ask questions regarding the level of stress our patients are experiencing and whether they feel that their pain is made worse when their stress levels are high.

Getting active outdoors is an invigorating way to get your blood pumping. Whether it’s a hike, a run or even a walk, exercising outdoors combines the benefits of physical activity with the goodness of fresh air, natural light and nature!

We spend so much time operating on autopilot, unconscious of what’s going on around us. It’s even worse at your workplace, where being mindless can result in rising stress levels and even poor productivity.

For muscle and joint injuries, compressing, elevating and applying something cool to an inflamed area will help relieve some symptoms of inflammation, but won’t eliminate the underlying cause of the inflammation. For this it’s best to see your local Medwest Physiotherapist, who can diagnose and help treat the main cause of your inflammation.

Have you been told that you need to drink an extra glass of water for every cup of coffee or tea that you drink? For some time there has been a belief that drinking coffee and tea can make you dehydrated because the caffeine they contain has a diuretic effect.

We all know that posture is important, but why is it that sitting up straight often feels like hard work? Unfortunately, the reality is that sitting upright might actually be causing or contributing to your neck or back pain!

Many of us make the time for things like exercise and healthy eating because we’re aware of the health benefits. But with more and more Australians living in urban settings, plenty of research now shows we are neglecting another very healthy activity, engaging with nature!